The Saola, one of the world's rares

The Saola, one of the world's rarest mammals, is a forest-dwelling bovine found only in the Annamite ranges of Vietnam and Laos. The species wa first discovered in Vietnam in 1996 in Huong Thuy district of Thua Thien Hue.
Le Ngoc Tuan, director of the reserve in Thua Thien Hue province, said his organization carried out a survey from november 1996 to february 1997 in A Luoi districts. The survey showed that the rare mammal appeared in 19 communes in those districts. Officals also collected 27 pairs of horns and skulls. Mr. Tuan said " The Saola is at a high risk of being hunted and will panic if it sees hunting dogs in the woods. " since its discovery, it is believed to have rapidly declined in the face of ever-increasing human presence, although the actual size of the remaining population is still unknown. According to scientists and researchers on wildlife, Saola numbers had crashed to around 200 worldwide.
The WWF and Vietnam authorities have carried out a plan for the period between 2005-2010 in six central provinces. Forest wardens have eliminated all traps to catch the Saola and banned hunting dogs from protected areas. Three protection stations have been established to protect the endangered species.